Rita (chimpanzee)

Rita (Japanese: リタ; c. 1928 – July 1940) was a female chimpanzee who lived at Tennōji Zoo in Japan. She was a popular attraction at the zoo, famous across Japan for her tricks and the way she was sometimes dressed as a geisha. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, she and her mate, Lloyd, were used as military propaganda. They were dressed as soldiers and made to carry guns and the Japanese flag. Rita died in July 1940 due to complications from childbirth and malnutrition.